Animal abuse or ?

[750H.P.V6]

Guy's,

Here's my dilemma. I was out in the garage over the weekend and I heard my neighbors dog barking. It went on for a couple of hours so I decided to walk a few doors up and see what was going on. It turns out my neighbor's dog Rocky who is a geriatric wiener dog (approx. 12 years old) has been left out in the yard to fend for himself.

You might ask how I know his name, Well it's because I've found him out roaming before and had to return him but back to the story. I come to realize my neighbor has left him in the back yard with a bowl of food and water and a dog bed and has gone away for the weekend.

This concerns me only for the reason I have weiner dogs myself and I'd never expect them to live outside without adequate shelter taking into consideration the fact that we have many canyons close by with coyotes etc. Truth be told I don't let them go out after dark without myself or my wife going with them.

The thing that really upsets me about the whole thing is that my neighbor is a Marine Corps. officer and I would expect him to exhibit better judgement in this instance. If he really doesn't care about the dog he should put it up for adoption.

Do you think I'm overreacting or?

Thanks

Neal

 

[DR BOOST]

You are not overreacting, but, your neighbor may still be within the law. Have the police come check it out.

 

[turbo39151]

I don't think you're overreacting... Makes no difference what this guy does for a living... Common sense dictates that he should know better.

You can call the local animal control. (not that they'll do much- at least you're in super liberal CA so they might...) You could also contact folks like ALDF (Animal Legal Defense Fund)- They may be able to point you in the right direction with regards to groups who can help or can raise a big enough stink to make things happen.

I have zero issue with making a call and putting this guy on notice. If he cannot or will not be a responsible pet owner, he should surrender the animal to someone who will be.

 

[six is enough]

What was the weather like over the weekend. Was it cold out or raining? Was the dog fenced in? There are a lot of dogs who live outside. If it was nice out I do not believe this would be animal abuse.

 

[750H.P.V6]

The weather was fairly mild this weeked however we did get just a little rain last night. It appears they came home around 10 pm last night. I went over to the house earlier in the day but no one was home. I wanted to talk to the guy before I call the athorities. In my mind a small dog was never intended to be an outside dog. The dog in question is old, appears to be hard of hearing and possibly blind from what I can tell. The whole deal really pisses me off to be truthful.

Neal

 

[DCVING 6]

Not sure what it is like in your area, but it doesn't cost that much to kennel a dog at the vet by me.... That kind of stuff is just ignorant.

 

[tbone87]

My boss has a hot dog and it comes to work everyday with his wife we have to go to Macdonald's 2 or 3 times a week for a double cheese burger the name is daisy if she don't get it the hot dog thinks its abuse lol im not lieing either

 

[broke]

I would be upset to......neglect.

 

[six is enough]

If the dog is hard of hearing and almost blind than they should not have left the animal to fend for itself. Maybe someone else was checking on the dog for them. Would not hurt to ask.

 

[SPOOLFOOL2]

Ya know Neal!
This ain't the 'first time that a Marine's wiener got him in trouble.

Sorry...

 

[we4Mateo]

I'm a dog lover, but I also feel dogs are all meant to be outdoors. We all are as animals if required. I have two indoor Beagles. Either way, with food and water and mild weather, you may be overreacting a bit. It's a dog, not a baby. I would def leave my Beagles in a fenced in area for a period of time with adequate food and water. I would think they'd like it better than the kennel at the vet we use when we travel.

 

[750H.P.V6]

I might not be so upset about it if he wasn't old and decrepit or if I thought someone was supposed to be coming by to check on him or if he had some kind of shelter. Leaving him on his own in the yard over the weekend is just taking the lazy way out and shows poor judgement in my opinion.

Neal

 

[novaderrik]

I might not be so upset about it if he wasn't old and decrepit or if I thought someone was supposed to be coming by to check on him or if he had some kind of shelter. Leaving him on his own in the yard over the weekend is just taking the lazy way out and shows poor judgement in my opinion.

Neal

donate a cheap kennel or dog house to the guy to put in the back yard for shelter.. i built a perfectly nice dog house for my German Shepherd out of a 4X8 sheet of 1/2" plywood, an 8 foot 2X2, and some sheetrock screws... i managed to cut all the pieces out of the one sheet and made a pretty damn nice little dog house that was big enough for her when she reached her full size of 80 pounds- a wiener dog should only need about half a sheet of plywood.. i threw a cheap old blanket of mine in there and she loved it so much that she preferred to stay outside in her 8X10 kennel than sleep in the house even during the coldest MN winter nights..

 

[we4Mateo]

I might not be so upset about it if he wasn't old and decrepit or if I thought someone was supposed to be coming by to check on him or if he had some kind of shelter. Leaving him on his own in the yard over the weekend is just taking the lazy way out and shows poor judgement in my opinion.

Neal

I see your point. I'm not fully aware of the dog's health condition.

 

[Gary Wells]

I would talk to the family 1st and then go from there.

 

[750H.P.V6]

I would talk to the family 1st and then go from there.

Gary,

I tried to go by today again and they weren't home. I'll chat with them first before getting carried away.

Neal

 

[Gary Wells]

Neal:
A while back I had developed a real liking for a friend & his family's cat. I used to take him over treats when I visited. Not too long ago I was notified by my friend that the cat had been out early in the AM & the coyotes had gotten him. It really bothered me that I had held him in my arms one day and he was gone the next. I am very sympathetic to animals & their cause. I hate to see anybody mistreat an animal, any animal, pet or not. I have a set of brother & sister Blue Russian cats and I do not let them out of the house. I am probably not a good source to make recommendations and would not want to be in your shoes, but I would try and talk to them 1st, I think. If that doesn't work, I think that then next visit or call I did would be to the local SPCA for their advice.

 

[John Larkin]

Do what you want. I would leave it alone. Since the dog had adequate provisions and was not subjected to cruel and unusual circumstances, then it is opinion versus opinion. This could turn out ugly and create bad blood between you two.

 

[bishir]

Here is what you should do when you talk to your neighbor. Them them you noticed the dog was outside and the weather turned south then politely offer to watch the dog for them if they go out of town again. Perhaps they'll take you up on your generous offer next time and help improve your neighborly bond. Generally speaking, leaving a dog outside with food and water for a weekend isn't necessarly a bad thing. Though small, those dachshund were bred to be tough little creatures. Around here though they'd be gator bait..

 

[750H.P.V6]

I got to talk to the owner today. The conversation was cordial and I explained to him that my wife and I were concerned about the dog's well being and that it appeared he had been left alone over the weekend. I was told that his wife's co-workers college age son had been paid to look after the dog. I told him that it appeared that no one had been around ie: no lights on at night, TV etc. with the dog out in the yard. He said he'd get to the bottom of it.

I offered to come by and check up on the dog if they needed to go out of town again or Rocky could come and stay at our house. He appreciated the offer and said that he wasn't the type of person that would leave his dog out in the yard by itself over the weekend. He went on to say that the dog is partially blind which I told him makes sense since I had tossed him a biscuit over the fence and he didn't seem to be able to find it.

At this point I wouldn't say the issue is resolved but I feel better having spoken to him about it and now he is aware of what's going on.

Neal